This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Bake up a batch of these moist bakery style lemon poppy seed muffins in under an hour! This lemon poppyseed muffin recipe has a sweet lemon glaze that packs delicious citrus flavor in every bite.
For more muffin recipes, try these bakery style chocolate chip muffins and my all time favorite blueberry muffins!
Table of Contents
No matter the time of year, I always have a batch of these muffins on hand. They’re perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee and are equally enjoyable as a nice afternoon snack. This lemon poppy seed muffins recipe always come out super fluffy and have a nice crunch from the poppyseeds that I really love – I’ve always been big on texture.
I added a delicious lemon glaze on top for that fresh lemon flavor that always satisfies my sweet tooth. I love a good lemon glaze, check out this lemon loaf – I’m all about the glaze!
If you’re in search of the perfect lemon poppy seed muffin, this recipe is it. All you need are a few simple ingredients, a 12-cup muffin tin, and your appetite.
Grab your morning coffee and let’s get started. Happy Baking!
Ingredients
(full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below)
Butter: I always use real salted butter for flavor – it also adds some moisture and makes for a perfect muffin. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
Vegetable oil: oil adds a moist texture to these bakery-style muffins.
Sugar: this recipe calls for white sugar. I didn’t add brown sugar because I didn’t want the caramel notes of the brown sugar to compete with the lemony flavor.
Lemon Extract: you only need a tiny bit of lemon extract as it’s very strong but it enhances the lemon flavor.
Eggs: to provide lift and structure to the muffins.
Sour cream: for moisture and flavor! Whole milk yogurt or greek yogurt work as a substitute here as well.
Lemon Juice: for added lemon flavor, this is a must! I recommend using fresh lemon juice for best results. However, store bought works too!
Lemon Zest: the lemon zest is a must. Rubbing the lemon zest and sugar together is key to the ultimate lemon flavor!
Leaveners: baking powder and baking soda give these muffins that nice dome shape!
Poppy seeds: crunchy poppy seeds add such a beautiful texture to these fluffy muffins.
Kosher salt: I always recommend using kosher salt over iodized salt. It has a better flavor and doesn’t have that bitter salty taste.
Substitutions
- If you’re running low on sour cream, you can sub it out for greek yogurt instead.
- For a healthier alternative to vegetable oil, you can use coconut oil instead.
- Vegan version: sub out milk and sour cream for your favorite vegan alternatives. Use the same amounts listed in the recipe card.
- Gluten Free: use a 1-to-1 baking flour instead of all purpose flour.
Tips
- Do not overmix your batter. Mix batter until just combined to avoid tough muffins.
- Use fresh lemons for the lemon zest and lemon juice. If you can find meyer lemons, I recommend using those as they have the best flavor!
- The secret to the best homemade muffins is to let the batter rest for at least 15-20 minutes. This allows the flour in the batter to absorb the moisture, yielding a fluffy tender muffin that has those sky high domes like a bakery muffin!
- If you don’t have fresh lemons for zesting, you can use store bought lemon juice. Just be sure to add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice.
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine sugar and fresh lemon zest. Rub together, pinching the lemon zest and the sugar together. This gives the muffins a stronger lemon flavor. (Image #1)
- Then combine room temperature eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest and milk. Whisk together until all ingredients are fully incorporated. (Image #2)
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. (Image #4)
- Cover the bowl and allow the muffin batter to rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Grab a 12-cup muffin pan. Add the muffin liners to every other muffin cup. Fill the muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the batter – to the top.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an addition 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of a muffin.
- To make the glaze, mix together melted butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. Drizzle on top of the muffins and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, let them sit at room temperature until fully thawed. Heat them up in the oven at 300 degrees F for 5-8 minutes.
The key to moist muffins is using enough fat and allowing the dough to rest prior to baking.
Yes, you should allow your muffins to rest. Doing this makes the muffins tender and soft and allows them to rise in the oven.
More Muffin Recipes
- Banana Nutella Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Corn Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
- Zucchini Pumpkin Muffins
Want more delicious and beautiful recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the latest seasonal creations as soon as they’re released!
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Equipment
- 12-cup Muffin Tin
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) Sugar
- 3 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 2/3 cup (148 g) Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp (28 g) Salted Butter, (melted)
- 3 large (150 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 2/3 cup (160 g) Sour Cream, (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup (80 g) Whole Milk, (room temperature)
- 3 tbsps (45 g) Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Lemon Emulsion, (you can also use lemon extract)
- 1 tsp (4 g) Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) Almond Extract
- 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp (360 g) All Purpose Flour, (sifted)
- 2 tbsps Poppy Seeds
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Lemon Simple Syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Water
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Pinch the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it becomes fragrant and the sugar takes on a pale yellow color, about 3 minutes. Add vegetable oil, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, whole milk, lemon juice, lemon emulsion, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk everything together until smooth, about 1 minute. 1 1/4 cups Sugar 3 tbsp Lemon Zest 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil 2 tbsp Salted Butter 3 large Eggs 2/3 cup Sour Cream 1/3 cup Whole Milk 3 tbsps Lemon Juice 1 tbsp Lemon Emulsion 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Then add poppy seeds, baking powder, and kosher salt and continue to whisk together until combined. 2 tbsps Poppy Seeds 1 tbsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- Use a sifter to sift in the all purpose flour and once all of it is added to the bowl, gently whisk until all of the flour is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight. 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- While the muffin batter is rest, make the lemon simple syrup. Combine water and sugar in a pan over medium low heat. Stir until the sugar is just dissolved, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and add in lemon juice and stir. Set aside to cool. 1/4 cup Water 1/4 cup Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grab a 12-cup muffin pan. Lightly grease every other muffin cup with melted butter, then add a touch of flour to coat, ensuring the entire cup is coated in the flour. Tap off any excess flour.
- Fill the muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the batter – to the top. Fill the empty muffin cups with water, about 1/2 way up. This prevents the muffins from drying out and also prevents the pan from warping in the oven.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for 12-16 minutes, until when you gently (and carefully) press the tops of the muffins, they spring back. You can also insert a toothpick and when it comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter), it's done.
- Fresh out of the oven, brush generously with the lemon syrup. Gently move the muffins around/twist to ensure that the muffins don't adhere to the pan, then let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not overmix your batter. Mix batter until just combined to avoid tough muffins.
- Use fresh lemons for the lemon zest and lemon juice. If you can find meyer lemons, I recommend using those as they have the best flavor!
- The secret to the best homemade muffins is to let the batter rest in the refrigerator before baking. This allows the flour in the batter to absorb the moisture, yielding a fluffy tender muffin that has those sky high domes like a bakery muffin!
- If you don’t have fresh lemons for zesting, you can use store bought lemon juice. Just be sure to add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lemon poppy is my favorite! I’m excited to try this! Question- could I make this in a loaf pan instead? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it in a loaf pan, however, I do have a lemon loaf recipe that you can add 2 tbsps of poppy seeds to and bake in a loaf. Here’s the recipe link: https://britneybreaksbread.com/lemon-loaf/
Enjoy!
Fabulous recipe – the muffins were delicious — they came out moist and with the right texture. I had a GF sugar free guest arriving, so I took liberty of substituting GF 1-1 flour and a KAB 1-1 sugar substitute. Still the muffins came out so delicious my husband even liked them. I didn’t have lemon extract but still the lemon flavor came through. I Got confused at one point: After putting muffin tin into oven, bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and make an additional 10-15 minutes. I highly recommend this recipe.
Thank you so much Kathy! I’m so happy that you were able to customize it to your liking and still have an amazing turnout! Cheers!